Keeping Head Above Water

23 Sep 2022 | 5 comments

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The following article has been written by one of our Trust members.  They are the opinions of that person and not necessarily those of Blues Trust.  Would you like to contribute a discussion point of your own about Birmingham City Football Club?  If so, we would be delighted to hear from you.

After ten league games, twelve points gained in an ever-demanding Championship campaign must be regarded as respectable. Sitting seventeenth in the table though, which of late seems to be our natural home, is still a touch disappointing despite the last three games bagging two great away wins and a draw.

Keeping out of the bottom five by this enforced break was my stated hope, not least in view of our current situation regarding injuries and a lack of strikers. This achieved, and now we move onwards to the next phase of the season. That is no doubt going to be another challenge, particularly if we have to rely on the fitness and scoring form of Hogan together with the irritating absence of a natural left back. Players returning from injury will obviously help, especially Placheta and Gardner, and will give John Eustace some element of choice which he desperately needs.

My hope now is that we can find a solution to a problem that always seems to beset us. Namely, the need for a recognised and decent left back. Why we should labour this obvious weakness is baffling, particularly as new incumbents routinely arrive who are either not fit or deemed good enough to be trusted. The current loanee from West Ham United, Emmanuel Longelo, is the latest enigma. No doubt this is yet more irritation for our manager.

However, as we currently stand on the playing side the performance level overall is encouraging. Eustace is doing a decent job and currently appears to be a good fit for Blues. No doubt his brief by our owners is to keep our head above water this season.

As always the prickly, touchy subject of the takeover continues to rumble on with nothing yet clear in my opinion. My annoyance with all of this uncertainty is for us Blues followers, who always go that extra yard in believing and hoping that change is happening. We give the benefit of the doubt continually. This is in our makeup.

Communication is once again all too rare, and whilst understanding the need for ‘in house’ privacy and possible delicate diplomacy, we do need to be fed with regular updates no matter how frugal the information, Again, my hope is that this international break will benefit the club on a number of fronts both on and off the pitch. At the moment though, keeping the club’s head above water is the key for me.

Mitchell Bray

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5 Comments

  1. Mark R

    We have got a left-back, albeit an inexperienced one, in Longelo, but I don’t see our left hand side as anywhere near as big an issue as our lack of striker depth.
    The way Eustace likes us to play is clearly with a back 3 and 2 wing-backs, so I can’t see us using a flat back 4 much, if ever, whilst he is in charge.
    We have 2 lads who have shown they can operate adequately in the left wing back role for us in Placheta and Jordan Graham. With Longelo as cover, I no longer see this as a problem area for us. We also have a strong left footed centre back in Trusty, who has been excellent for us so far this season.
    My main worry would be our lack of striker options, particularly as we let Cosgrove out on loan and unfortunately failed to bring a striker in during the recent window.
    Basically, if Hogan gets injured, our goals will probably largely dry up, so that has to be the major concern, surely?
    The other slight worry is the news this morning that Huddersfield are ‘interested’ in Eustace. I hope that’s nothing to worry about, particularly as we are a bigger club than Huddersfield and Eustace is a West Midlander! Mainly though, he’s got a long term project here at Blues and its potential is unlimited.

    KRO

  2. tracey tyler

    Agree and busy time coming up with hard fixtures until the World Cup break.Think all the players are performing to the level of their abilities but l am concerned about the form of Bacuna.I think he is falling into the category of a luxury player just for the fact that he is brilliant one match and really dire the next.l can understand why Huddersfield and Rangers both got rid of him if he played like he did for them.He played like a Premier player against West Brom but a Non League one against Coventry which is frustrating for all.We at Blues need him to show consistantcy because he is the hub of our attack.

    • Graham Clive parrish

      Think that’s an exaggeration Bacuna is class most games . The opposition try and stifle that

    • pamela

      Agree 100%

  3. Smithy

    Just keep hoping we get through another season without the dreaded drop. Striker issue such a worry.

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